They seated Asra and I in a round booth, large enough to seat six or seven people. I wasn't sure where to sit, so chose a spot that wasn't quite in the middle but wasn't quite on the end. Asra sat opposite me, his blue eyes almost black in the low lighting. The server handed our table over to a bubbling girl named Ella, who was eager to get us seated with some menus.

Ella had deep brown eyes and skin, her dark hair slick to her head. She adorned the same uniform as the woman previously, except she wore a small apron around her hips and carried a notepad. I wondered if she was human like me. The only difference I noticed between human women and wolf women was that wolf women were tall and toned. It was hard to tell with Ella; she was dressed in dark clothes and didn't seem too tall.

"Are there any drinks I can get for you before you order?" Ella smiled.

Asra's gaze never left mine as he hummed and rattled off an order that I believed to be whiskey. When she turned to me, my expression blanked and my mouth opened and closed without words.

"Instead of whiskey, bring us your best bottle of red over, will you?" Asra quirked an eyebrow.

"Of course, won't be a moment, sir." She nodded, leaving us.

I scowled at his impolite bluntness. If he wanted to make this a habit, he would have to learn some manners.

"You have never had alcohol much, have you?" He smirked.

"Darius would not let me." I pursed my lips.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Don't say his name. Don't give him the power."

A warmth in my cheeks had me dropping my gaze.

"I think you will like a red. It goes with a lot of food." He exhaled, leaning backwards just as Ella re-appeared.

I stared wide eyed as she rambled about things relating to the bottle, Asra watching her with interest. His large hands took a wineglass from the table, holding it out for her to pour into. She did so happily, and I watched with curiosity as he swirled and sipped the wine. It looked rather... unusual, to say the least.

He nodded once, and she left the bottle on the table. Asra took it, his hands taking up all the space around the top of the bottle. He poured two glasses before sliding one over to me. I took it with a small thanks, sniffing it slightly before taking a sip. The taste exploded across my tongue, a sweet, fruity flavour that lingered even after I swallowed.

Asra chuckled, gauging my expression. "You like it?"

"It's nice." I nodded, awkwardly. "Do you drink wine often?"

"You could say I was raised around wine etiquette." His nose twitched as he took a sip of his.

I cocked my head, curious. More mysterious questions burning in my mind. But before I could get the chance to ask him any, he was raising the menu to his face.

"See anything you like?" He wondered.

I cleared my throat, eyes darting down to the black book-style menu. Half of the writing was in a language I was unsure of, but the descriptions were English, so at least I wouldn't look like a total dork. My eyes scanned the various dishes before I settled on a pasta dish. One thing I loved was pasta, especially when smothered in sauce.

"I think I might just have the tag-lee-tell?" I replied, glancing up at him. "The thing with salmon and spinach."

He nodded once, smiling softly. "No starter?"

"Starter?" I frowned, flipping to the first page of the book menu. "Oh..."

"We can share if you are unsure." He suggested.

I nodded with embarrassment, and he chuckled again, dropping the menu and calling over the waitress. He ordered for the both of us, and I stared, mesmerised as he spoke so confidently. Ella nodded, writing the order before leaving us with a smile. I observed Asra as his fingers leafed through the menu.

"Do you eat out often?"

He shook his head. "I used to, when I was younger."

"Before you became... alpha?" I whispered the last part.

He smirked, nodding. "Yeah, being boss comes with a lot of responsibility and not a lot of time."

"That must suck." I muttered.

He laughed, alarming me with the sudden noise. "I am used to it."

I hesitated my next question, glancing at the surrounding patrons with unease. "Eve said your... father still lives on land?"

He stiffened, but nodded once. "He does."

"How long have you been in charge?" I wondered. "Eve said you were young."

He licked his lips, studying my face. I wasn't sure what he was looking for, but he furrowed his eyebrows and pursed his lips.

"About twelve years." He sighed. "I was twenty-one."

"That's a long time to not go out to eat." I commented.

His eyes danced with amusement, a small laugh leaving his lips. He stared down at the table, shaking his head.

Ella came back then, a large plate of steaming food in her hands. She set it on the table, pocketing the towel that she used to not burn her hands. Definitely human, a wolf wouldn't even notice they were being burnt.

"Chicken Portobellos." She grinned. "Enjoy."

I glanced up from the cheese sprinkled dish to look at Asra with confusion. "Porto-whato?"

"Portobello." He drawled. "Chicken, tomato, cheese, mushroom."

I hummed, eyeing the dish. "Smells good."

Asra nodded, the same old soft smile on his features as he picked up some cutlery. I watched as he cut a small slice of everything and scooped it onto the fork. His hand moved towards me and with wide-eyes, I stared at his offering.

"What?"

He chuckled again. "Just open your mouth, Tulip."

My lips parted on their own accord, and his hooded eyes watched them intensely as the fork disappeared inside. The tomato was surprisingly sweet, and I hummed as I chewed through the dish.

"You like it?"

"I do." I nodded, licking my lips.

He beamed and continued to cut into the dish. I grabbed cutlery and went to cut my own, but Asra smacked my knife away with his own.

"I have already cut you some. Eat up."

I huffed at being treated like a child, but I was eager to eat more, so stabbed my fork into the small chunks he set aside for me. We finished the dish in no time, and within a heartbeat, Ella came to take it all away. My elbows rested on the table, my hands clasped together as I leaned my cheek against them. I thanked her softly, complimenting the food to which she beamed at. I watched her walk away, unaware of the blue eyes dead set on the side of my face.

"Have you been to this restaurant before?" I wondered, turning to look at him.

I blinked, taken aback to find Asra slumped in the booth, his eyes hooded and lips pulled into a smirk as he watched me.

"More than you realise."

I frowned at his confusing words. "Oh?"

His eyes darted along my face before falling to my throat. Eventually he sighed, leaning forward to be closer to me.

"I would come every Friday evening."

"Oh, you must like Italian then." I laughed.

"I am half-Italian." He shrugged.

"You are?" My eyes widened, looking over his features once more.

The blue eyes threw me, but the lightly tan skin and dark hair... I suppose being half of something makes it... softer?

"Do you speak Italian?"

"I do."

"Can I hear?" I grinned, sipping my wine.

"Maybe another time, Tulip."

I pouted, swirling the wine in my glass. Asra grabbed the bottle, topping it up as I got lost in my head. I was running out of things to ask him, disgruntled when he would not give me the answers. Asra liked games, so I needed to think of something.

"Want to play a game?" I asked.

He hummed, putting down his glass. "A game?"

"A question game."

"What do I get out of it?"

I rolled my eyes, scoffing. "I ask you a question. You ask me one."

"So I get information?" He pouted. "How about a bit of spice to it?"

"Oh yeah? Like what?" I wondered.

"If you don't answer, you have to take a large gulp of wine." He grinned.

I pushed a stray hair behind my ear, nodding. "Deal. I get to go first though, since I proposed the game."

He nodded. "Fire away, Tulip."

"Is it your mother's or father's side that is Italian?"

"My mother's." He answered, shrugging. "Are you enjoying your evening so far?"

"I am. I have never been to such a pleasant restaurant before." I smiled.

"So you have been out on a date but not had alcohol?"

"Ah-ah, one question at a time, Alpha." I teased.

He grumbled. "Fine..."

"My turn." I giggled. "Do you have any siblings?"

His jaw tensed, his shoulders stiffening at the topic. "Yes."

"One worded answers are no fun." I pointed out.

He sighed. "I have a brother."

So, the guy in the store was right; he did have a brother. An estranged one, it seemed. Asra appeared rather upset with the question.

"Do you miss your sister?"

I inhaled sharply, staring down at my glass of wine. "To be honest... I don't think of her as much as I should do, and it makes me feel guilty. I do not know how she is being treated back home... My mother..."

His hand reached out to cup the back of my own. "I get it."

Ella returned then, two large dishes in her hand. In her right was a wide white bowl that she set down in front of me, and in her left was some kind of slate looking dish. Asra thanked her, grabbing the clean cutlery and passing me my own.

I gazed down at my dish with hunger. The creamy sauce and vegetables looked delicious. I have only had salmon once, and that was a few weeks ago when it was a one-off for dinner. Glancing up at Asra's, I found he had a large piece of meat with what looked like fries and various vegetables and a pot of sauce. I spotted corn cob and asparagus on there, but I was so distracted by the juicy meat to look further.

"Is that even cooked?" I blurted.

He laughed, shaking his head. "It is what they call rare, so yes."

I blinked, staring at the oozing meat as he cut into it. "I have never seen a steak so large."

"The rarely cook them. It is a special request." He shrugged.

"So, you have ties to this restaurant in more ways than a weekly visit, then?" I questioned.

He stiffened, his jaw pausing on devouring his meat. "You could say that. Now eat."

"I'm just trying to understand you." I muttered, picking up my fork.

He was still tense from across the table, and eventually he sighed, nudging my calf with his foot. "I apologise, Tulip. I am... not used to revealing my thoughts."

I forced a smile, shrugging. "I get it."

His eyebrows remained furrowed, but I became too distracted with my dish to even care. As soon as the creamy sauce hit my tongue, I was a goner. A small moan of delight left my throat, and I was quick to dive back in for more. The table fell quiet as I ate, unaware of how quickly I was going through my dish until I realised I was almost done.

"Enjoying it, Tulip?" Asra mused.

I blinked, glancing up at Asra, who was lazily chewing on a fry. A sudden embarrassment coated me in shame, my mind becoming fixated on what I must've looked like when I was scoffing half of my pasta in one second.

"Too much." I admitted.

He sniggered, shaking his head. "Good, but I've asked a question. Now it's your turn."

My mind whirled, the heaviness in my heart lifting as he offered to continue playing my game. I took a quick gulp of wine before clearing my throat, ready for round two.

"Before you lost all of your time to being..." I drifted and he nodded. "What did you like to do other than visit Italian restaurants?"

He snorted. "A lot more."

I cocked my head, chewing a piece of pasta and hoping he got the message. Short answers were not good enough.

He sighed. "I liked sport, of course. I enjoyed going on prey hunts, or just for a run... I have always been active. I only slowed down the past ten years when more fell on my shoulders."

I nodded sympathetically. "Maybe we could go for a run one night."

"You? Run?"

I scowled, throwing my napkin at him. "Rude."

He laughed, shaking his head. "Your turn, Tulip. Why do you like swimming so much?"

I swallowed my food, smiling. "Easy. My Dad used to take me swimming every weekend. He called me a fish out of water."

His eyes softened at the sound of my laughter. "He seems like a good man."

"He was." I nodded, staring down at my nearly empty dish. "What about you? Did you ever do anything with you dad? Your mum?"

His eyes darkened again, the same old closed off expression coating his features. I winced at the low grunt he gave me in answer, resorting to taking a large gulp of wine again. Asra copied, glancing at the pictures that lined the wall beside us.

I followed his gaze, unsure of what to say next. There were old newspaper clippings and pictures of old staff members on here. Copies of certificates and news articles. I smiled as I looked over them all, most of them in black and white. It gave some character to the restaurant and gave me something to do other than look at Asra.

Glancing at him, I noticed his eyes were still hard, but his lips had pulled down into a frown. It was a change from a moment ago, so I followed his gaze to where he seemed to stare. It was an old newspaper article, the title marvelling about a grand new menu courtesy of ...

Serena Zenith.

My chest constricted as I gazed at the photo beside the article. It was a polaroid, showcasing a woman with soft brown eyes, dark brown curly hair and soft caramel skin. She was beaming at the camera, wearing a similar uniform to Ella. I noticed the angular motion of her cheekbones and jaw, the sharp, yet small nose that rest upon her face.

Despite the eyes, the rest was almost uncanny.

"Asra..." I murmured. "Is that woman your... mother?"